Talking Toffee: Sweet Award for Piedmont Natives

Toffee Talk, a handmade confection originally cooked up in a Piedmont kitchen, has won the gold medal for the top artisan toffee in the 2013 International Chocolate Salon awards sponsored by TasteTV, its third consecutive year as the winner in this category.

The company is owned and operated by cousins Catherine Hughes and Ellin Purdom, both Piedmont natives.

Hughes founded Toffee Talk in 2009 using a recipe learned from her godmother, Suzi Soper of Piedmont. A 1976 graduate of Piedmont High School who used to work in commercial real estate, she launched her new career with the help of family and friends. 

Purdom, also a 1976 PHS alum, joined the company as director of social networking.

You can read more about Toffee Talk's history in this 2010 interview with Hughes.

Toffee Talk is made in small batches and is hand-broken, hand-wrapped and “made with love,” although these days it's made in a commercial space in San Francisco rather than a Piedmont kitchen, Purdom said in an email.

The company's products, made with all-natural ingredients (and gluten-free), include almond, pecan, red walnut, peanut and Crumble Mumble toffees.
 
"The Red Walnut Toffee receives a lot of buzz because it uses a rare breed of red walnuts that are grown by Peter and Lanore Raffo of Piedmont, Purdom said.

The toffee is available at Piedmont Grocery, 4038 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, and through the company website at www.cjstoffeetalk.com (with free delivery to Piedmont residents). 

'Like' Piedmont Patch on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter @PiedmontPatch